Running With Wolves
by rubylucasridinghoodmeghanory
Summary: This is the story of how a little girl named Red grew up (with a few twists).
1. Prologue

The baby was still. She had yet to move, yet to make a sound, as the man walked purposefully through the forest. He had expected her to cry, protesting the arms she didn't know.

A sudden breeze caused the tiniest of noises to come from her throat, but she did not wake up. The man adjusted her thick brown hair as it blew over her eyes and fixed her clothes - clothes for a princess. He almost felt guilty taking her from her perfect world of riches and fortune. Almost.

But this was what needed to be done. His actions today would begin a long chain of events that would allow him to get what he wanted, that would allow him to fix his greatest mistake.

They were almost at the end of their journey now. The man could hear the water moving close by, the sounds of frogs echoing in the dead of night. The man turned from his dirt-ridden trail, stepping through the brush, careful not to scratch the child's face. His leather boots crunched against gravel as his eyes took in the lake before him. Yes, this would do.

He located the largest stone, just beside the river bed, recognizing it immediately. The moonlight was reflecting off its surface, and the man laughed quietly to himself before placing the baby in the center.

And now he was done. He would have to wait years before he could get what he wanted. But he had waited decades already. What was another few years?

The little girl began to squirm, and it was precisely eight minutes and fifteen seconds before she woke, her cries shattering the silence.

Rumpelstiltskin waited patiently, his eagerness outweighing his annoyance with the noise.

A howl ripped through the darkness, and that was his cue to depart the scene. A pinkish cloud enveloped him, and the Dark One vanished, leaving no trace of his presence.

Seconds later, a wolf burst through the clearing, its large black ears perked up as it tried to locate the source of the sound.

Large paws ran to the river bed, stopping to stare curiously down at a baby girl. A royal.

A snarl caught in the back of its throat; it knew exactly what kind of trouble this would bring. But the wolf could no longer abandon it now that it had a pup of its own.

It lifted its head to try and find a scent, but a hand reached out for its muzzle, a curiosity lighting up the baby's bright blue eyes.

The wolf bent down cautiously and lifted the baby by the collar of its shirt.

A cold breeze suddenly blew through the open space, ruffling the wolf's fur, and it ran as carefully as it could, returning to its den.

The baby had somehow fallen asleep on the journey, and the wolf's eyes softened as it scratched at the hidden trap door, long nails scraping against the wood twice, then after a pause, once more.

It took only a few seconds before the door burst open, revealing the bright face of Quinn. "Who is that?" he asked eagerly.

The wolf patiently held the girl out to him. His little hands took her carefully, staring curiously down at her.

"She's not like us," he mumbled.

"No, she's not," the wolf replied, rising to her now human feet. "What are you doing answering the door, Quinn? You are not old enough."

"I'm four," he protested, a stubborn pout crossing over his handsome features.

The woman rolled her eyes and took the baby back, now cradling it in her arms. "And that is not old enough," she insisted, stepping into the hole behind him. "Where is your mother?"

"She went out to run."

"I thought I told her to stay here with you."

"She was going crazy," Quinn shrugged.

The trap door closed over them, and for a moment, they were shrouded in darkness, but it made no difference, their senses guiding them down the spiral stone steps. The rest of her pack was still out running, which meant she had to prolong the announcement that she had brought a human back. They would not be happy, but she didn't care. She was the alpha, so they had to listen to her. And they would.

The tall woman crossed the room to her bed, which lay next to a hand-made crib, built from the strongest wood in the forest.

She bent her head over it and smiled in relief when she saw her beautiful baby girl still sound asleep, her hair as black as her mother's, her nose as pointed as her father's.

"Did she wake after we left, Quinn?" she called over her shoulder.

"Nope," he replied, running up to her. "Red's a quiet baby."

"Yes, she is," the woman smiled wider.

"Anita!" A familiar male voice entered the room. "Where did you go?! I was worried sick!" The woman spun around as she was engulfed in a warm pair of arms.

"Careful," she whispered, glancing down at the baby, the fear rising in her heart.

"Nita ... who is this?" The man's voice was soft and questioning as his hand fell from her long black hair.

"I found her," she replied. "She didn't have anyone." Anita searched his hazel eyes desperately, watching the debate ensuing in his mind.

"And you thought bringing her here was a good idea?"

"I couldn't leave her," she whispered, glancing back at the crib. "What if that had been Red?"

His gaze softened, and he gripped her forearms lightly, pressing a firm kiss to her forehead. "Then we shall keep her."

Anita looked up at him, her eyes wet and surprised. "Really?"

"Of course." He was staring down at the baby affectionately now. "We'll have to think of a name for her."

She thought for a moment before settling on, "Belle."

"It's perfect."

"You think so?"

"I do." He kissed her lips this time, his thumb brushing against her cheek. "She's beautiful."

Her mate bent down over Red's crib and picked her up gently, almost as if he was afraid he might break her.

"Are you sure you want to do this, Kaleb?" Anita whispered, her heart bursting as she watched her love.

"If this is what you want, then this is what we shall do," he smiled. "She is a part of our family now."


	2. Chapter 1: Kaleb

It was much too quiet tonight, the silence almost deafening. It was nights like this that made Kaleb hate watch duty. He would much rather be in his bed, his arm around his wife, though to be honest, he was just as wary and alert there.

Being a father had changed him. Gone were the days when he would invade the camps of hunters outnumbered six to one. Gone were the days when he ran back to the den, not bothering to leave a fake trail or watch behind him. Gone were the days of his youth, of adrenaline and excitement.

But that didn't matter. Excitement came in other forms now. There was no other choice. The moment he held Red in his arms, Kaleb had known, known he had to be there for her whenever she called, to catch her before she fell, to keep her safe. That was his job, and he would do it until his death. He would do move heaven and Earth for his Red. There was nothing he wouldn't do for his beautiful little girl.

Belle had, of course, been a surprise, and she was very different. No one could deny it. She was more fragile; she didn't have the senses of a wolf; she wasn't fast; she was always cold underneath his warm fingertips. It had not been an easy adjustment, but they had done it. And he loved her just the same as he loved Red.

While Red was rambunctious, Belle was quiet. While Red could wrestle with Quinn as easily as the boys four years older than her, Belle could outwit them almost better than he could himself.

Snap. The sound echoed through the darkness, ringing in his trained ears. Kaleb's head swiveled instantly, his eyes searching the night in front of him. Whatever was coming was clearly inexperienced with all the noise it was making, but he reached for his knife anyway.

Crouched behind a stump, Kaleb's eyes focused on the source of the sounds, ready to pounce. And then the intruder revealed himself. Or rather herself.

Kaleb stood from his hiding place immediately and moved to his daughter's side, his eyes now glancing in every direction, his mind filling with worry.

"I'm sorry," she mumbled as soon as he reached her, clearly sensing she had made a mistake.

"Red, what are you doing here?" Kaleb whispered, pulling the red hood off her face as he went down on one knee. "You know it's hunting season."

"I know," she sniffled. "I'm sorry."

Kaleb sighed. "You could have been tracked. Red, you could have been killed." He ran a hand through her long black hair, tucking it behind her ear so he could see her beautiful eyes. "Why would you leave the den?"

"I had a bad dream," she mumbled, looking down at her feet. "Mommy was asleep, and I got scared."

It was so hard to be firm with her. Kaleb was losing all his will, wanting nothing more than to scoop her up in her arms and hide her away. He lifted her chin gently, and his heart burned when he saw her eyes brimming with tears.

"You can't come out here without me or your mother. Do you understand?"

Red nodded slowly, and Kaleb picked her up, placing a kiss on her temple as he held her close. "I love you, okay?" he whispered.

"Okay," she mumbled into his shoulder.

"And you love me too, right?"

"No," she muttered.

Kaleb held her out, a look of surprise on his face. "No?"

And there it was: that wide, beautiful smile, all her white teeth visible as it spread from ear to ear.

He kissed her on the tip of her nose before holding her to his side again, beginning the long walk back to their home as quickly as he could. The forest was not safe for a four-year old girl.

Red fell asleep within the first five minutes, her face buried in her father's cloak. Thinking about what could have happened to her today made him nauseous, hating himself for not stopping her somehow. He could not even bring himself to consider what might have happened had she met a hunter. Almost instinctively, he cradled her closer to him, his grip tightening, and she mumbled softly before burying her head further in the wool of his cloak.

Finally, they came to their home, and Kaleb reached down and knocked the door twice, then after a pause, once more. A slow creak sounded as the wood was lifted open.

"Kaleb? Aren't you supposed to be out on watch duty?" A tall man stepped out into the night, a look of confusion on his face until his eyes landed on Red.

"I need to put her to bed. Can you stand guard for five minutes?" he whispered, and the man nodded. "Thank you, Luke," Kaleb clapped him lightly on the shoulder before heading inside.

As the trap door shut over them, Red stirred slightly. She lifted her head up with the tiniest of yawns, and Kaleb smiled as he felt her give up again, her head collapsing once more onto his shoulder.

Very cautiously, Kaleb worked his way through the bodies of his sleeping pack, trying not to wake his daughter again. Anita was still asleep, exhausted from today's hunt. Belle, however, was wide awake, sitting straight up in the bed she and Red shared.

"Is she okay?" The little girl whispered, her eyes full of concern.

Kaleb nodded, leaning down and placing Red on the open space beside Belle. He brushed the hair from her eyes and kissed her forehead before turning his attention to Belle. "And what are you doing up?" he asked, sitting on the edge of her bed.

"I woke up, and Red was gone," she mumbled, letting out a huge yawn as she sunk further into the pillow. She looked so tired, fighting much too hard to stay awake, her eyes half-closed. "It's much colder when she's not here." Belle was almost incoherent now, and Kaleb slowly ran a hand through her soft brown hair. "And..." Another yawn. "I can't sleep ... without her." Her eyes fluttered closed and then open as Kaleb pulled the blankets up over the two girls. "She's ... my best ... friend."

Once again, Belle's eyes fluttered, and this time they didn't open. Kaleb kissed her forehead too and smiled when Red turned onto her side, her hand now resting under her head.

He made sure they were perfectly tucked in and sound asleep before returning to where Lucas stood waiting for him.

"Thank you," he whispered as he came up from the secret door.

Luke held up a hand to silence him, and immediately Kaleb smelled them in the air: hunters.

"Stay here," he commanded Luke. "No matter what you hear you guard this door with your life." Kaleb knew what could happen if these hunters were smart. They would be drawn away just as another entered the den, and there was no way in hell Kaleb was letting one that close to his family.

He walked slowly forward, his head tilted as he tried to locate where the scent was coming from. It was very close. Much too close. He heard the sound of an arrow being pulled back, the gleam of a silver tip caught his eye, and then the twang of a string.

He ducked, and a loud thud echoed behind him as the head of the arrow sunk into a tree. Kaleb smirked to himself. He had made it far too easy now.

He bravely had to run to reach the man, slamming his body against a tree, one hand wrapped around his throat. He started sputtering for breath, his eyes wide in shock. But Kaleb didn't let go. He squeezed harder. Given his strength, it took only a few seconds before he was gone, his body sliding down to the ground.

"Don't move," a shaky voice sounded from behind him, and Kaleb turned slowly to see another hunter, his bow and arrow notched in front of him.

Kaleb held his hands up and tried to think of a plan. The man was too close to him, much too focused. If he moved at all, he could easily find himself with a silver arrow buried in his chest.

But the man was frightened. That he could work with.

"Listen," he started, hoping something good would fall out of his mouth, but he didn't get the chance.

"Shut up!" the man yelled.

Kaleb smiled slyly. "And why would I do that?"

"Because I'm going to kill you."

"Well, if you're going to kill me anyways, why should I do ask you say. Some hunter you are," he scoffed, rolling his eyes.

His grip tightened. "I'll do it. Don't think I won't."

One bead of sweat dripped down Kaleb's neck. "I'm sure you will."

The man let go of the string, and it flew towards him so fast Kaleb barely had time to brace himself. But the hit never came. Instead there was a thud, a choke, and the sound of a body hitting the floor.

Kaleb opened his eyes to see the hunter flat on the ground, his arrow protruding from his stomach. His breath hitched in his throat, and he glanced around for some explanation. Anything.

But there was nothing there, not even a scent. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound.

Though he was very confused, Kaleb knew he had more work to do. He had to find the hunters' camp, make sure there weren't more of them.

His feet started moving before his brain, still unsure how he was alive.

The sun was barely rising by the time he found them - roughly five miles away. It was a very large camp for hunters, who usually preferred to be conspicuous; there had to be at least six tents. Luckily, everyone seemed to be asleep, so Kaleb crept in quietly.

After searching for some time and finding very few weapons, he determined they were neither hunters nor soldiers.

His answer came when he bent down and picked up a missing person poster. They were a search party.

There was a picture of a baby girl on it, and Kaleb would have known that face anywhere. According to the date inscribed on the bottom, she had been missing for four years, and her parents were still desperately searching for her, offering immeasurable rewards.

Kaleb's heart began to beat very fast, and he dropped the parchment on the ground.

He had to get out of here now. They would be waking soon, beginning the search again. For _his_ daughter. His Belle was meant to be a princess. There had to be some kind of mistake. Anita would surely have told him had she known.

With another glance around him, Kaleb started his long journey home, his head reeling.

* * *

"Where in the hell have you been?!" Luke roared when he returned, the sun now high in the sky.

"I had to make sure there weren't more of them. You know that," Kaleb shrugged past his friend, but a hand wrapped around his forearm.

"Kaleb, are you all right?"

"I'm fine - just tired is all." Lucas let go of him very cautiously, his eyes wary as he searched his friend's. "Really," he gave him a small smile. "I'm fine."

That seemed to satisfy him enough that he let Kaleb enter the den. The dim lights made him even more tired than he was, but he had to talk to Anita before going to sleep.

"Hey Kaleb!" Quinn called, running up with a large smile on his face. "Did you kill any hunters last night?"

"No," Kaleb replied drowsily, and Quinn's face fell. "Why is that a bad thing? Killing is not something one should admire." Kaleb rubbed his hands over his eyes and knelt down in front of the little boy who idolized him so. "One day, when you have a family of your own, you will understand why it is so important that we kill hunters, but you should never take pleasure in it."

Quinn's eyes lit up with even more admiration. Foolish admiration at that. Kaleb had just killed two innocent men. He should have known they weren't hunters; hunters didn't leave scents.

"Run along and play, Quinn," Kaleb smiled and ruffled his hair, and the little boy took off towards the other kids.

Groaning with exhaustion, Kaleb stood up and found himself face-to-face with Anita, her eyes blurry and wet. "Where have you been?" she whispered, and her arms wrapped around his waist. Kaleb embraced her tightly, sinking into her warmth and taking a deep sigh.

After a moment, Kaleb pulled back, an unwanted expression on his face. "I need to talk to you," he whispered. "Somewhere we won't be overheard."

"What's wrong?" she asked.

Kaleb shook his head and took her hand, leading her out of the den and several meters into the forest. "Kaleb, what is going on?!" Anita demanded. "What could be so important that you have to take me all the way out here?!"

"There were two men in the forest last night. I thought they were hunters, so I took care of them and went to make sure there weren't any more."

"You thought they were hunters?" Anita raised her eyebrows.

"I found their camp, Nita, and they weren't hunters. They were part of a search party. A rescue mission." He was hoping she would understand so he wouldn't have to say it, but she remained clueless. "They were looking for a baby who went missing four years ago."

That did it. Anita's eyes widened and her eyes moved to the den.

"Anita, why didn't you tell me Belle was a princess?"

Anita looked back at him, the guilt all over her eyes. "I thought you might want to give her up."

Kaleb lowered his head slowly before asking, "So what do we do?"

"What do you mean what do we do?"

"Well, we have to give her back, and I'm not going to do that. I can't now; she's our family. So we have to get her far enough away that they can't find her."

"Kaleb, you know we can't. Wherever I go, the pack will follow me. Are you suggesting we move everyone? This place is perfect for us. This place is our home."

"Fine, we stay here, and what happens when they find us?"

"They won't," Anita shrugged.

"But what if they do?"

"Then we fight," she replied easily.

Kaleb laughed in disbelief. "So we risk all their lives?"

"Kaleb, they're not hunters. We can take them without even trying."

"Anita, this is ridiculous. We can save everyone. Nobody has to die."

Her eyes narrowed, and Kaleb knew he had crossed a line. "We're staying here. I am the Alpha, Kaleb. I know what's best for the pack."

Kaleb wanted to argue, but he knew that to do so would be borderline banishment.

"I don't want to hear about this anymore, okay?"

Kaleb nodded slowly. He knew the Alpha's duty was to keep her pack alive and in line. He had known that when he had kissed her for the first time; he had known it when he had fallen in love with her; and he had known it every day since she had become his leader. But that didn't mean he didn't wish otherwise.

Anita seemed to take his silence as an agreement, and she slipped her fingers into his. "I'm sure you're tired," she smiled softly, and Kaleb had already forgiven her.

"I'm exhausted."


	3. Chapter 2: Belle

"Hey! You ruined it!" Belle whined as the boys, Red among them, trampled the small tower she had been building. She pouted and stared at the ground as Quinn knelt down beside her.

"Whatcha building?" he asked, staring curiously at the pile of rocks that lay scattered beside Belle's feet.

"I was making a castle, but they ruined it," she cried.

"We can fix it," he smiled, now settling down next to her and crossing his legs, slowly stacking stones on top of one another while Belle watched, her frown gradually fading into curiosity. "See?" he said after a minute. "There's the tower."

Belle grinned, grabbing her own small pile and building a small bridge. "Why do we live in the forest? We should live in a big castle - with a prince and a princess and a knight."

Quinn rolled his eyes. "Royals are dumb. Wolves are brave and fast. We don't have to sit around and talk about politics all the time."

"What's a politic?" Belle tilted her head.

Quinn opened his mouth to reply, but then Kaleb came down the stairs and gave him a look. A look that meant there were hunters outside. Quinn turned to Belle. "You want to go to our secret place?" he winked, and a smile split across the girl's face.

"Is Red coming?"

"Of course," he nodded. "We don't go there without her. Why don't you go get her?"

Belle stood up and raced towards her sister, who immediately followed her back to Quinn, both girls lips split in wide, eager smiles.

"Let's go," Red said, practically jumping up and down on her toes.

"All right. Come on." Belle followed him to the secret door hidden underneath her parents' bed, Red's hand locked in hers.

They opened the latch and crawled in, the floor opening up to a small room underground.

The walls were covered in drawings that Belle didn't remember making, but she knew they were hers. That was Red, and that was Quinn, and that was her mommy and daddy. The ones on the bottom were just circles and scribbles, but as the drawings went slowly up the wall, they got better and better.

Belle, Red, and Quinn came down here every once in a while. It wasn't a lot, but sometimes Quinn would ask. And Belle liked it. It was special. He had been asking more often lately, but Belle didn't care to wonder why. She was just glad to be alone with her best friends, her family.

"Hey, Belle," Red smiled as she sat down on the dirt beside her.

"Hi," she mumbled, crossing her arms, still a little mad about her castle.

"Don't be a baby," the dark-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Come on. We can play down here. Just us and Quinn."

"What do you wanna play?" Belle turned her head.

"We could play pretend," Red smiled. "You can be a princess," she made a face, "and I'll be a wolf."

Quinn, who had been staring at the door above them, his ears perked, whispered, "Just be quiet. Otherwise they'll find our spot."

"You have to play too," Belle said, tugging on his sleeve. "We need a bad guy."

"Fine," Quinn sighed, grabbing a small stick and pretending it was a knife.

"This is where the castle will be," Red pointed thoughtfully at the back corner of the room, and Belle went to stand there. "And I'll be your guard dog, so I'll go over here." Red walked a few feet away and curled up on the ground in a ball.

"And when am I supposed to do ... whatever I'm supposed to do?" Quinn asked, leaning against the wall, his feet in front of him.

"I don't know," Red said. "It's gonna be a surprise."

Belle stood facing the wall, pretending she was a royal looking at her land.

Something nudged her side, and the princess looked down to see her werewolf. She petted its head gently as it let out a small whine.

"What's wrong?" the girl asked.

The wolf snarled and turned around, its legs ready to pounce as a man stepped through the door.

"Who are you?" Belle tilted her head, ignoring the barks of her wolf.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out." He pulled a knife from beneath his cloak and threw it right at her.

Belle ducked, and it clattered to the ground. The wolf jumped on top of him, and the princess ran to get the weapon.

"Ah! Get this thing off me!"

"Red," Belle smiled and pointed the knife at him as Red stepped off of him, her teeth still pulled back in a snarl. "You can't beat us," she boasted.

"I can so." He jumped up and grabbed Red, throwing her over his shoulder.

"Dinner!" A voice yelled from upstairs, and Belle watched as relief flooded into Quinn's eyes, though she didn't really think anything of it. She just figured he was glad the game was over. Quinn never really liked to play pretend with them. He liked to wrestle with the boys. But he always played anyway. Belle didn't understand that.

Quinn set Red back on the ground, and she pushed him, though it wasn't enough to make him move.

"You don't play fair," she pouted.

"You wanted me to be the bad guy," laughed Quinn.

"Yeah, but the bad guy's not supposed to win," Red protested as she pulled the hatch open quietly.

Belle stared curiously as Quinn shook his head and mumbled something she didn't catch. Red was already through the hole, but Belle wasn't tall enough, so Quinn had to help her. She and Red crouched under the bed until it was clear, and then they crawled out and tried to look like they had been there the whole time.

They worked their way slowly to the line where the food was being served, looking for their parents, when a pair of arms wrapped around Red and lifted her up. Belle turned just as she was hoisted up on top of her father's shoulders, now taller than her mom, who was holding Red to her hip.

"Where did you girls go?" Anita asked.

"Nowhere," Red mumbled, her lips splitting in a wide smile.

They reached the food last, and, as always, there wasn't much left. Anita grabbed some for herself and for Red, and Kaleb began taking the rest for himself and Belle. It was the Alpha's job to make sure everyone else was taken care of first. But Belle and Red had never been hungry, so she figured their parents hadn't been either.

"Daddy?" she asked quietly.

"Hm?" he mumbled as they began walking towards Anita and Red, setting Belle on the ground but keeping her hand locked in his.

"We weren't nowhere," she admitted, pink rising to her cheeks. "We have a secret place where we play. Quinn comes too. They didn't want me to tell you. It's s'posed to be a secret."

"But you're telling me?" Kaleb raised his eyebrows, giving her his full attention. "Won't you get in trouble?"

Belle bit her lip. "I know, but I don't want to lie. I'm no good at it, I guess."

Kaleb ruffled her hair proudly. "And that is nothing to be ashamed of."

"You're not gonna tell them I told you ... are you?"

They had arrived by the rest of their family now, sitting down next to them and eating but before Kaleb sat beside his mate, he kissed Belle's head softly, his fingers running through brown curls. "It'll be our secret," he whispered, and Belle smiled as she started to eat.


End file.
